As of Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at least 4,261 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,425 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is one fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 179 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.
___
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ No deaths reported.
___
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Sgt. Jose R. Escobedo Jr., 32, Albuquerque, N.M.; died Friday in Baghdad of injuries from a non-combat incident the night before at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Iskandariyah; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany.
On the Net:
* http://www.defenselink.mil/news/
czwartek, 26 marca 2009
Turkey Indicts 56 More in Military-Coup Case
Turkey Indicts 56 More in Military-Coup Case
ISTANBUL -- A Turkish court formally indicted 56 suspects, including two retired four-star generals, on charges of plotting to topple Turkey's Islamic-rooted government.
Made public by Istanbul's 13th Criminal Court, the 1,909-page indictment is the second to emerge from an 18-month investigation into a secularist-nationalist group accused of fomenting civil unrest against the ruling AK Party. Earlier this month, prosecutors submitted the indictment, which required approval from the court. That approval came Wednesday, paving the way for the case to move forward and the indictment to be made public.
Eighty-six other suspects have been on trial since October in a court near Istanbul. They were charged under the first indictment released in July.
The two main suspects in the new charge sheet are Sener Eruygur, a former military police chief, and Hursit Tolon, a former military commander.
The highest-ranking military officers arrested in Turkey's 62-year history of multiparty democracy, both are charged with "forming and organizing an armed terror group" and "attempting to remove the government by force."
Mr. Eruygur also is charged in connection with the May 2006 murder of a High Court judge, which triggered a secular backlash against AK Party that ended with military threats of intervention in April 2007.
One of the key pieces of evidence in the charge sheet is a 60-page extract from diaries allegedly written by a retired admiral. Originally published by the Turkish magazine Nokta in 2007, the diaries detail plans by Mr. Eruygur and other military commanders for coups in 2003 and 2004.
The admiral denies the diaries are his. In July 2008, Mr. Tolon told Turkey's leading newspaper that the sections referring to him were "correct."
Planned at a time when Turkey's government was preparing to accept a United Nations-led plan to reunite the island of Cyprus, divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974, the coups failed because of opposition from the then Chief-of-Staff Hilmi Özkok, the diary claims.
The Turkish daily Milliyet reported last week that Mr. Özkok and his successor were prepared to testify in the case if asked by prosecutors.
Turkey's military has intervened four times since 1960 to remove civilian governments. The army denies links to any current plot accusations.
ISTANBUL -- A Turkish court formally indicted 56 suspects, including two retired four-star generals, on charges of plotting to topple Turkey's Islamic-rooted government.
Made public by Istanbul's 13th Criminal Court, the 1,909-page indictment is the second to emerge from an 18-month investigation into a secularist-nationalist group accused of fomenting civil unrest against the ruling AK Party. Earlier this month, prosecutors submitted the indictment, which required approval from the court. That approval came Wednesday, paving the way for the case to move forward and the indictment to be made public.
Eighty-six other suspects have been on trial since October in a court near Istanbul. They were charged under the first indictment released in July.
The two main suspects in the new charge sheet are Sener Eruygur, a former military police chief, and Hursit Tolon, a former military commander.
The highest-ranking military officers arrested in Turkey's 62-year history of multiparty democracy, both are charged with "forming and organizing an armed terror group" and "attempting to remove the government by force."
Mr. Eruygur also is charged in connection with the May 2006 murder of a High Court judge, which triggered a secular backlash against AK Party that ended with military threats of intervention in April 2007.
One of the key pieces of evidence in the charge sheet is a 60-page extract from diaries allegedly written by a retired admiral. Originally published by the Turkish magazine Nokta in 2007, the diaries detail plans by Mr. Eruygur and other military commanders for coups in 2003 and 2004.
The admiral denies the diaries are his. In July 2008, Mr. Tolon told Turkey's leading newspaper that the sections referring to him were "correct."
Planned at a time when Turkey's government was preparing to accept a United Nations-led plan to reunite the island of Cyprus, divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974, the coups failed because of opposition from the then Chief-of-Staff Hilmi Özkok, the diary claims.
The Turkish daily Milliyet reported last week that Mr. Özkok and his successor were prepared to testify in the case if asked by prosecutors.
Turkey's military has intervened four times since 1960 to remove civilian governments. The army denies links to any current plot accusations.
Military denies food blockade in Sulu
Military denies food blockade in Sulu
A military spokesman on Thursday denied reports that troops are blocking the entry of food supplies to Indanan town, Sulu province, where the group of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Albader Parad is believed to be holding three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers captive.
Lt. Col. Edgardo Arevalo, Philippine Navy spokesman, said the military blockade was preventing bandit reinforcements and the entry of ammunitions, rather than food, in Indanan town.
"There is no food blockade. We don't know where that information [came] from. We've repeatedly stated that what we're depriving them (bandits) is reinforcement of personnel and refurbishment of guns and ammunitions," Arevalo said in a text message to ABS-CBN Zamboanga.
Reports said the military has resorted to a food blockade in Indanan town following a clash between Parad's group and the military's anti-terror group, Task Force Comet, in Barangay Timahu, Indanan early last week.
The clash took place while Parad's group was trying to breach the military's cordon around the town.
In a phone interview with ABS-CBN News, kidnapped ICRC worker Mary Jean Lacaba said food has become scarce in their area. She added that since last week's clash, she and the two other ICRC workers -- Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni -- have become more frightened of possible eruption of gunshots.
Civil relations chief Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, meanwhile, said the military has maintained its position in Indanan to keep pressure on Parad's group and prevent them from leaving the town.
Pangilinan said troops pursuing the bandits have been ordered to suspend operations against the bandits. He, however, said the troops are always ready to fight if provoked by the bandits.
Arevalo had said that the military’s position in Indanan "far enough to allow the crisis committee to do its part, but near enough to maintain the pressure on the terrorists and break their will to fight and eventually release the victims."
Parad had promised to release one of the ICRC workers in exchange of a military pullout from Indanan. The Abu Sayyaf leader specified that they want troops in Tagbak village in Indanan and Patikul town to pull out.
The military believes Parad's group and the three hostages are in the southernmost part of Indanan, a few kilometers only from Parang town. -- report from Leila Vicente, ABS-CBN Zamboanga
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/03/26/09/military-denies-food-blockade-sulu
A military spokesman on Thursday denied reports that troops are blocking the entry of food supplies to Indanan town, Sulu province, where the group of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Albader Parad is believed to be holding three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers captive.
Lt. Col. Edgardo Arevalo, Philippine Navy spokesman, said the military blockade was preventing bandit reinforcements and the entry of ammunitions, rather than food, in Indanan town.
"There is no food blockade. We don't know where that information [came] from. We've repeatedly stated that what we're depriving them (bandits) is reinforcement of personnel and refurbishment of guns and ammunitions," Arevalo said in a text message to ABS-CBN Zamboanga.
Reports said the military has resorted to a food blockade in Indanan town following a clash between Parad's group and the military's anti-terror group, Task Force Comet, in Barangay Timahu, Indanan early last week.
The clash took place while Parad's group was trying to breach the military's cordon around the town.
In a phone interview with ABS-CBN News, kidnapped ICRC worker Mary Jean Lacaba said food has become scarce in their area. She added that since last week's clash, she and the two other ICRC workers -- Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni -- have become more frightened of possible eruption of gunshots.
Civil relations chief Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, meanwhile, said the military has maintained its position in Indanan to keep pressure on Parad's group and prevent them from leaving the town.
Pangilinan said troops pursuing the bandits have been ordered to suspend operations against the bandits. He, however, said the troops are always ready to fight if provoked by the bandits.
Arevalo had said that the military’s position in Indanan "far enough to allow the crisis committee to do its part, but near enough to maintain the pressure on the terrorists and break their will to fight and eventually release the victims."
Parad had promised to release one of the ICRC workers in exchange of a military pullout from Indanan. The Abu Sayyaf leader specified that they want troops in Tagbak village in Indanan and Patikul town to pull out.
The military believes Parad's group and the three hostages are in the southernmost part of Indanan, a few kilometers only from Parang town. -- report from Leila Vicente, ABS-CBN Zamboanga
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/03/26/09/military-denies-food-blockade-sulu
There’s Safety in Military Contracts
There’s Safety in Military Contracts
Like so many small businesses in this weak economy, Kaos Worldwide, a sports apparel company just outside Houston, has been struggling. But it has managed to survive while its competitors have folded because it won a five-year, $1.5 million contract last year to supply sports bras to the United States military.
“Without the military contract, we might not still be here,” said Bert Emanuel, who founded the business with his wife, Terri, after a knee injury in 2001 forced him to retire from an 11-year career as a professional football player. Their company sells temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking base layers like T-shirts, shorts, leggings and bras.
While it may seem that only large corporations like Halliburton and Lockheed Martin would have a shot at lucrative military contracts, the Defense Department actually awards more than half, or $55 billion, to small businesses. And the Obama administration’s $787 billion stimulus plan promises to make even more money available.
“Small businesses play an important role in the economy and the military,” said Joseph E. Misanin, deputy director of small-business programs at the Defense Department. “They have an agility and flexibility that gives them an advantage over bigger companies.”
Although the regulatory hurdles to becoming a military vendor can be daunting and frustrating, small-business owners who persevere say it is tremendously profitable and even essential to their survival. With the United States currently in the midst of two wars and tending to a multitude of other security concerns, they say the military is a recession-proof customer that has insulated them from the current economic downturn.
Beth Harshfield, the owner of Exhibit Arts, an advertising and marketing company in Wichita, Kan., said she started bidding on military contracts six years ago because “I got tired of the local economy kicking the legs out from under us.” Now 80 percent of her business is with the military. Her company creates trade-show booths for Army recruiters and acts as a staffing agency for military bases.
“Once you’re established and you perform well, there is unlimited potential,” Ms. Harshfield said. “But getting set up to work for the government is a confusing and lengthy process.”
First, small businesses have to be certified to work for the government, which can be cumbersome. It means getting listed on the Central Contractor Registration database. This is required of all current and potential military contractors. Applications can be made online and require a company’s tax identification number.
Once in the database, small businesses get a Commercial and Government Entity code; a Marketing Partner Identification Number and Trading Partner Identification Number. These are all essential for finding, bidding on and getting paid for military contracts.
Helping small businesses make sense of the credentialing process are regional procurement technical assistance centers. There are 93 of these federally financed offices nationwide, run by former military procurement officers.
“The first meeting takes a few hours when we learn about the business to see if it even has a product that’s possible to sell to the military,” said Debbie Smith, procurement specialist at the assistance center in New London, Conn.
If the answer is yes, then the center guides the small-business owner through the registration process and enters him or her into a central database that patrols the federal system for bid solicitations that fit their profile. Small businesses can also look through the listings on www.fedbizopps.gov for opportunities.
But getting that first contract is difficult, said Ms. Harshfield of Exhibit Arts. “They want you to have experience working with the military,” she said. “They aren’t as interested in your commercial experience. So it’s really hard to break in.” It took two years, she said, for her company to get the military to accept a bid.
Mr. Emanuel said he was lucky that, through personal connections, a general in Iraq had learned of his product. The general ordered 10,000 bras for his female soldiers by credit card in 2005. So when Mr. Emanuel bid on the five-year contract that he eventually won last year, he was able to point to that experience.
Rather than bidding on contracts, some small businesses try to get their products listed on the General Services Administration schedule, which is essentially a giant e-mall where military procurement officers can buy items online with a standard credit card. If the company’s product is consumer-oriented, it is eligible for listing on the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, an online, tax-free store for active-duty military and their families.
Kathline Springer, director of business development at Rust Bullet in Reno, Nev., said it took two years of paperwork and lobbying various officials to get her company’s rust-retardant coating listed in 2005 on the General Services Administration schedule. Still, she said, “it was worth it” because the military is now Rust Bullet’s biggest customer. “I don’t have to worry if they are going to pay their bills.”
Another option is to get a so-called National Stock Number, which gets a product in the Defense Department’s database of items approved for military use. Mark Ewald, owner of Groove Tech in Waterbury, Vt., got a stock number in 2000 for his company’s industrial-strength bungee cord.
“I get most of my orders through word of mouth,” he said. “One military unit will get my product and tell another unit who wants to get it.” The unit’s procurement officer then uses the stock number to place an order. The military now accounts for more than half of Groove Tech’s business, he said.
To expand his sales, Mr. Ewald said he had begun making marketing calls to military bases and National Guard units. “Most of the work is finding out who the supply sergeant is and how to reach him,” he said. Adding to his frustration, he said, is that military personnel are mobile, so contacts change frequently.
Rick Horn, who is with the assistance center in Las Vegas, said: “It’s certainly more complicated than dealing with a commercial entity. But the way the economy is these days, the government still has money and the private sector doesn’t.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/business/smallbusiness/26sbiz.html?ref=business
Like so many small businesses in this weak economy, Kaos Worldwide, a sports apparel company just outside Houston, has been struggling. But it has managed to survive while its competitors have folded because it won a five-year, $1.5 million contract last year to supply sports bras to the United States military.
“Without the military contract, we might not still be here,” said Bert Emanuel, who founded the business with his wife, Terri, after a knee injury in 2001 forced him to retire from an 11-year career as a professional football player. Their company sells temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking base layers like T-shirts, shorts, leggings and bras.
While it may seem that only large corporations like Halliburton and Lockheed Martin would have a shot at lucrative military contracts, the Defense Department actually awards more than half, or $55 billion, to small businesses. And the Obama administration’s $787 billion stimulus plan promises to make even more money available.
“Small businesses play an important role in the economy and the military,” said Joseph E. Misanin, deputy director of small-business programs at the Defense Department. “They have an agility and flexibility that gives them an advantage over bigger companies.”
Although the regulatory hurdles to becoming a military vendor can be daunting and frustrating, small-business owners who persevere say it is tremendously profitable and even essential to their survival. With the United States currently in the midst of two wars and tending to a multitude of other security concerns, they say the military is a recession-proof customer that has insulated them from the current economic downturn.
Beth Harshfield, the owner of Exhibit Arts, an advertising and marketing company in Wichita, Kan., said she started bidding on military contracts six years ago because “I got tired of the local economy kicking the legs out from under us.” Now 80 percent of her business is with the military. Her company creates trade-show booths for Army recruiters and acts as a staffing agency for military bases.
“Once you’re established and you perform well, there is unlimited potential,” Ms. Harshfield said. “But getting set up to work for the government is a confusing and lengthy process.”
First, small businesses have to be certified to work for the government, which can be cumbersome. It means getting listed on the Central Contractor Registration database. This is required of all current and potential military contractors. Applications can be made online and require a company’s tax identification number.
Once in the database, small businesses get a Commercial and Government Entity code; a Marketing Partner Identification Number and Trading Partner Identification Number. These are all essential for finding, bidding on and getting paid for military contracts.
Helping small businesses make sense of the credentialing process are regional procurement technical assistance centers. There are 93 of these federally financed offices nationwide, run by former military procurement officers.
“The first meeting takes a few hours when we learn about the business to see if it even has a product that’s possible to sell to the military,” said Debbie Smith, procurement specialist at the assistance center in New London, Conn.
If the answer is yes, then the center guides the small-business owner through the registration process and enters him or her into a central database that patrols the federal system for bid solicitations that fit their profile. Small businesses can also look through the listings on www.fedbizopps.gov for opportunities.
But getting that first contract is difficult, said Ms. Harshfield of Exhibit Arts. “They want you to have experience working with the military,” she said. “They aren’t as interested in your commercial experience. So it’s really hard to break in.” It took two years, she said, for her company to get the military to accept a bid.
Mr. Emanuel said he was lucky that, through personal connections, a general in Iraq had learned of his product. The general ordered 10,000 bras for his female soldiers by credit card in 2005. So when Mr. Emanuel bid on the five-year contract that he eventually won last year, he was able to point to that experience.
Rather than bidding on contracts, some small businesses try to get their products listed on the General Services Administration schedule, which is essentially a giant e-mall where military procurement officers can buy items online with a standard credit card. If the company’s product is consumer-oriented, it is eligible for listing on the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, an online, tax-free store for active-duty military and their families.
Kathline Springer, director of business development at Rust Bullet in Reno, Nev., said it took two years of paperwork and lobbying various officials to get her company’s rust-retardant coating listed in 2005 on the General Services Administration schedule. Still, she said, “it was worth it” because the military is now Rust Bullet’s biggest customer. “I don’t have to worry if they are going to pay their bills.”
Another option is to get a so-called National Stock Number, which gets a product in the Defense Department’s database of items approved for military use. Mark Ewald, owner of Groove Tech in Waterbury, Vt., got a stock number in 2000 for his company’s industrial-strength bungee cord.
“I get most of my orders through word of mouth,” he said. “One military unit will get my product and tell another unit who wants to get it.” The unit’s procurement officer then uses the stock number to place an order. The military now accounts for more than half of Groove Tech’s business, he said.
To expand his sales, Mr. Ewald said he had begun making marketing calls to military bases and National Guard units. “Most of the work is finding out who the supply sergeant is and how to reach him,” he said. Adding to his frustration, he said, is that military personnel are mobile, so contacts change frequently.
Rick Horn, who is with the assistance center in Las Vegas, said: “It’s certainly more complicated than dealing with a commercial entity. But the way the economy is these days, the government still has money and the private sector doesn’t.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/business/smallbusiness/26sbiz.html?ref=business
Electrocution deaths prompt US military investigation in Iraq
Electrocution deaths prompt US military investigation in Iraq
Following the deaths from electrocution of at least 16 US servicemembers in Iraq, including three while showering and one in a swimming pool, a military task force has begun inspecting electrical systems at the roughly 94,000 military facilities in Iraq, from sparse desert barracks to the opulent palaces built by Saddam Hussein.
Inspectors found potential electrical hazards at 15,000 of the 41,000 facilities visited since the task force's inception in August, a US military spokesman said.
In January 2008, Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth was killed by electric shock while showering in the living quarters at Baghdad's Radwaniyah Palace, Hussein's former estate. The soldier who previously lived in Maseth's room had complained about shocks in the shower, and later told investigators that at one point he had to use a wooden handle to turn off the shower nozzle because the electric current in the shower was running so strong.
Army investigators determined Maseth was killed when the water pump overheated, causing a circuit breaker and other wiring to fail. Maseth's family has sued KBR, the massive US contractor, saying it had failed adequately to maintain the facility. KBR oversees maintenance at Radwaniyah and most of the US facilities in Iraq.
"We have been and remain committed to fully cooperating with the government on this issue," KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne wrote in an email. "KBR also maintains that it was not responsible for the death of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth, nor the electrocution deaths that have been publicised in recent months."
Others were killed either from contact with power lines or while maintaining equipment, the US military said.
Five US soldiers were electrocuted in the first 10 months after the March 2003 invasion, and an army safety centre warned of widespread electrical hazards the following year.
Part of the problem, US military and KBR officials say, is a lack of qualified electricians and the overall decrepit state of Iraq's electrical grid.
"The process of finding and fixing this problem has gone far too slow," said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, a veterans group. "We've known about this problem for years, and it's inexcusable that our troops continue to face the threat of severe injury or death not only in the battlefield, but when taking a shower back where it's supposed to be relatively safe.
"The previous administration wanted to farm out way too many things to contractors, without any real accountability, and this is one of the legacies of that terrible decision."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/26/electrocution-usa-iraq-military
Following the deaths from electrocution of at least 16 US servicemembers in Iraq, including three while showering and one in a swimming pool, a military task force has begun inspecting electrical systems at the roughly 94,000 military facilities in Iraq, from sparse desert barracks to the opulent palaces built by Saddam Hussein.
Inspectors found potential electrical hazards at 15,000 of the 41,000 facilities visited since the task force's inception in August, a US military spokesman said.
In January 2008, Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth was killed by electric shock while showering in the living quarters at Baghdad's Radwaniyah Palace, Hussein's former estate. The soldier who previously lived in Maseth's room had complained about shocks in the shower, and later told investigators that at one point he had to use a wooden handle to turn off the shower nozzle because the electric current in the shower was running so strong.
Army investigators determined Maseth was killed when the water pump overheated, causing a circuit breaker and other wiring to fail. Maseth's family has sued KBR, the massive US contractor, saying it had failed adequately to maintain the facility. KBR oversees maintenance at Radwaniyah and most of the US facilities in Iraq.
"We have been and remain committed to fully cooperating with the government on this issue," KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne wrote in an email. "KBR also maintains that it was not responsible for the death of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth, nor the electrocution deaths that have been publicised in recent months."
Others were killed either from contact with power lines or while maintaining equipment, the US military said.
Five US soldiers were electrocuted in the first 10 months after the March 2003 invasion, and an army safety centre warned of widespread electrical hazards the following year.
Part of the problem, US military and KBR officials say, is a lack of qualified electricians and the overall decrepit state of Iraq's electrical grid.
"The process of finding and fixing this problem has gone far too slow," said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, a veterans group. "We've known about this problem for years, and it's inexcusable that our troops continue to face the threat of severe injury or death not only in the battlefield, but when taking a shower back where it's supposed to be relatively safe.
"The previous administration wanted to farm out way too many things to contractors, without any real accountability, and this is one of the legacies of that terrible decision."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/26/electrocution-usa-iraq-military
U.S. Sees Chinese Military Rise
WASHINGTON — China is seeking technology and weapons to disrupt the traditional advantages of American forces, and secrecy surrounding its military creates the potential for miscalculation on both sides, according to a Pentagon study released Wednesday.
The annual report from the Defense Department to Congress, “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2009,” catalogs efforts by China to supply its armed forces with weapons that can be used to intimidate and attack Taiwan and blunt the superiority of American naval and air power, at least near its territory.
“We have advocated time and again for more dialogue and transparency in our dealings with the Chinese government and military, all in an effort to reduce suspicions on both sides,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.
He said the report should be read as calling “for deeper, broader, more high-level contacts with the Chinese.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, dismissed the Pentagon report on Thursday as “a gross distortion of the facts” and interference in China’s internal affairs.
“This report issued by the U. S. side continues to play up the fallacy of China’s military threat,” he said at his regular news briefing in Beijing. He suggested that the Pentagon stop issuing the annual report to avoid “further damage to the two sides’ military relations.”
China suspended high-level contacts with the Pentagon last October in response to the Bush administration’s decision to sell a record $6.5 billion in military equipment to Taiwan. But relations appeared to improve after the deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, David S. Sedney, held two days of talks with his Chinese counterparts last month.
Military relations between the United States and China have tended to crest and then fall over recent years, with ties having just recovered from Beijing’s outrage over the sales to Taiwan.
But even the resumption of military-to-military talks was threatened this month after Chinese vessels shadowed and harassed an American surveillance ship in international waters of the South China Sea.
The Pentagon report describes how China’s military modernization has continued over the past year, with a particular focus on Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. China has built up short-range missiles across from Taiwan, even though the report concludes that relations between the two have relaxed over the past year.
Even so, the study said China could not deploy and sustain even small military units far beyond its borders before 2015. Further, China would not be able to deploy and sustain large forces in combat operations far from China until well into the following decade, the report states.
Instead, the Chinese military appears to have embarked on modernization programs that would allow it to fight and win short conflicts fought with new weapons along its periphery.
To blunt traditional advantages of the United States, China has invested in new technologies for cyber- and space warfare, in addition to sustaining and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, the report said. The Chinese military also is expanding and improving its fleet of submarines, and hopes to build a number of new aircraft carriers, the report said.
The report does single out acts by the Chinese military to participate in international relief and rescue missions. Between 2002 and 2007, the People’s Liberation Army joined at least 14 search-and-rescue missions at sea, and was involved in 10 emergency relief missions in 14 countries.
Between 2003 and 2007, China also sold nearly $7 billion worth of conventional weapons around the world, mostly to Pakistan, the report said.
Rep. Ike Skelton, the Missouri Democrat who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement on Wednesday that expressed concern at “some of the continuing trends and ambiguities regarding China’s military modernization, including China’s missile buildup across from Taiwan and the steady increase of China’s power projection capabilities.”
He said that “China’s military budget continues a trend of double-digit increases and questions remain about China’s strategic intentions.”
Michael Wines contributed reporting from Beijing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/27military.html?hp
The annual report from the Defense Department to Congress, “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2009,” catalogs efforts by China to supply its armed forces with weapons that can be used to intimidate and attack Taiwan and blunt the superiority of American naval and air power, at least near its territory.
“We have advocated time and again for more dialogue and transparency in our dealings with the Chinese government and military, all in an effort to reduce suspicions on both sides,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.
He said the report should be read as calling “for deeper, broader, more high-level contacts with the Chinese.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, dismissed the Pentagon report on Thursday as “a gross distortion of the facts” and interference in China’s internal affairs.
“This report issued by the U. S. side continues to play up the fallacy of China’s military threat,” he said at his regular news briefing in Beijing. He suggested that the Pentagon stop issuing the annual report to avoid “further damage to the two sides’ military relations.”
China suspended high-level contacts with the Pentagon last October in response to the Bush administration’s decision to sell a record $6.5 billion in military equipment to Taiwan. But relations appeared to improve after the deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, David S. Sedney, held two days of talks with his Chinese counterparts last month.
Military relations between the United States and China have tended to crest and then fall over recent years, with ties having just recovered from Beijing’s outrage over the sales to Taiwan.
But even the resumption of military-to-military talks was threatened this month after Chinese vessels shadowed and harassed an American surveillance ship in international waters of the South China Sea.
The Pentagon report describes how China’s military modernization has continued over the past year, with a particular focus on Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. China has built up short-range missiles across from Taiwan, even though the report concludes that relations between the two have relaxed over the past year.
Even so, the study said China could not deploy and sustain even small military units far beyond its borders before 2015. Further, China would not be able to deploy and sustain large forces in combat operations far from China until well into the following decade, the report states.
Instead, the Chinese military appears to have embarked on modernization programs that would allow it to fight and win short conflicts fought with new weapons along its periphery.
To blunt traditional advantages of the United States, China has invested in new technologies for cyber- and space warfare, in addition to sustaining and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, the report said. The Chinese military also is expanding and improving its fleet of submarines, and hopes to build a number of new aircraft carriers, the report said.
The report does single out acts by the Chinese military to participate in international relief and rescue missions. Between 2002 and 2007, the People’s Liberation Army joined at least 14 search-and-rescue missions at sea, and was involved in 10 emergency relief missions in 14 countries.
Between 2003 and 2007, China also sold nearly $7 billion worth of conventional weapons around the world, mostly to Pakistan, the report said.
Rep. Ike Skelton, the Missouri Democrat who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement on Wednesday that expressed concern at “some of the continuing trends and ambiguities regarding China’s military modernization, including China’s missile buildup across from Taiwan and the steady increase of China’s power projection capabilities.”
He said that “China’s military budget continues a trend of double-digit increases and questions remain about China’s strategic intentions.”
Michael Wines contributed reporting from Beijing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/27military.html?hp
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